Don Mattingly receives extension
— -- The Los Angeles Dodgers finalized a three-year contract extension with manager Don Mattingly on Wednesday, the team announced on Twitter.
Mattingly's new deal start in the 2014 season.
Mattingly managed all of last season without assurances he would remain at the helm beyond this year. He revealed during a tense news conference after the season that his option for 2014 vested when the Dodgers made the NL Championship Series, and he displayed frustration at having been put in that position.
The Dodgers were surprised by the comments but quickly moved to assure Mattingly that he was viewed as part of their long-term future. The team initiated extension talks shortly thereafter.
While the process took several months, there was always a belief on both sides that an extension would be completed before spring training.
Mattingly is 260-225 in his three seasons as Dodgers manager. He finished second in NL Manager of the Year voting in 2013.
Mattingly came under fire last season as the Dodgers stumbled out of the gate and were 9½ games out of first place on June 21.
The Dodgers then went on a franchise-best 42-8 run over the next 50 games and wound up winning the NL West by 11 games before losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS.
The Dodgers did not retain bench coach Trey Hillman, one of Mattingly's closest friends, after the season. However, that move had been decided before Mattingly's news conference at the end of the season, sources previously indicated to ESPN.
The team subsequently promoted highly regarded third-base coach Tim Wallach to bench coach and retained the rest of Mattingly's staff.
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